Film buff Stephanie Gallimore teamed up with GoThinkBig to cover all the biggest films from the BFI London Film Festival. From speaking to Carey Mulligan at the premiere of Suffragette to rubbing shoulders with all the stars of Black Mass – Steph was in the thick of the action.
Here, she gives heat her take on High Rise.
“The moment Ben Wheatley took on this J. G. Ballard satire; he had Tom Hiddleston in mind for the title role of Dr. Robert Laing.
Laing skirts the social scene between the developing class rivalry, between the upper and lower floors. Scene by scene the actions of each group get increasingly more violent until they eventually erupt into an orgy of chaos. And, of course, it is only so long before Laing loses his sanity too. This type of stylistic film seems a very good fit in Wheatley’s repertoire.
Hiddleston approached his character with an in-depth eye, an incredibly, he even watched a live autopsy to ensure he totally understood his character. He uses his brilliant skill to create a character with an air of pacifism, but yet still attracts the audience with his charm despite the unfolding ugly scenes.
Luke Evans gives an impressive display of a vile human being, hell-bent on waging war. Jeremy Irons assumes the position at the top of the tower, and uses his character’s naivety in an attempt to win some sympathy from the audience
A quick scene at the end shows it is the women (lead by Sienna Miller and Elizabeth Moss) who band together and prove that women are worth more than what is thought of them.
Honestly, High Rise is one of those films that you may need to see more than once to fully understand.
Oh, and as an extra note: The dog Dr. Robert Laing is seen eating in the first few scenes is only a leg, with the rest behind a blanket, because the budget wouldn’t stretch to a whole dog. Gross!
Stephanie was reporting on the red carpet for GoThinkBig in association for heat Magazine. If you LOVE film, just like Stephanie, and would like to find out more about opportunities like this – head over to GoThinkBig.
